No risk of malaria from Paphos mosquito swarm

THERE IS no risk of an outbreak of malaria from a swarm of mosquitoes near Paphos town centre, the health services said yesterday.

“There is no danger because we don’t have any cases of malaria here for it to be transmitted,” said acting head of health services Christos Christou.

Malaria - a parasitic disease involving a high fever and flu-like symptoms - is only spread if the mosquito bites someone who is already infected with the disease. The disease has been eradicated in Cyprus since the 1950s.

Christou reassured that the swarm, which were discovered a few days ago, would be sprayed using a biological insecticide. The spraying began yesterday and will continue all weekend if necessary.

He also added that they would be taking a sample to be tested to see whether it is actually the anopheles mosquito, the female of which carries malaria.

The colony was discovered around a brook near the Paphiakos football stadium. According to reports, the crews from Paphos’ health services also cleaned the brook which had become overgrown with vegetation due to rain.

“I think it’s all been exaggerated but we have to reassure people,” said Paphos Mayor Savvas Vergas, who held a meeting with various bodies yesterday to discuss the issue.

Despite reassurances that there will not be an outbreak of malaria any time soon, an official at Paphos health services, who preferred to remain anonymous, did say that it was strange the mosquitoes were located up to a kilometre from water as they are usually found near stagnant water.

Head of the health committee for Paphos Municipality, Fylaktis Constantinides, also admitted that there was a delay by the Health Services in dealing with mosquitoes in that area. Vergas agreed saying: “Based on particular plans the spraying should have been completed by the end of May, something that did not happen.”

Mosquito problems have arisen in other areas all over the island, such as the Meneou and Kamares areas in Larnaca, where residents were concerned about being attacked by swarms of mosquitoes due to sewage and stagnant water.